Cap lining machine

Abstract

A cap lining machine includes a circular score cutter and an anvil to produce cap liners in a rapid and dust free manner. The machine is fed by two streams of caps. The first stream is a conventional gravity feed. The second stream indexes a cap into position with a worm screw. The two stream feed mechanism inputs two caps simultaneously to a rotatable plate having receiving pockets therein. The plate presents the caps to the score cutter/anvil cutting station. After the cap liners are formed they are inserted into the cap by a pusher element. The pusher includes an override spring to prevent damage to inverted caps. In order to further minimize dust the web of liner material is cut only after twelve liners have been cut. Critical portions of the machine are enclosed in a dust-free housing. Moving parts are automatically lubricated by a pump mechanism. The machine is able to produce and insert cap liners at a very high rate of speed and in a reliable and dust-free manner.

We claim: 
     
       1. A cap lining apparatus for cutting a cap liner from a web of lining material and placing said cap liner in a cap, said apparatus comprising: a hollow anvil means;   a hollow score cutting means for cutting said web, said anvil means and said score cutting means being lined up coaxially so that the hollow portions of said anvil means and said score cutting means form a cavity;   web feed means for transporting said web between said anvil means and said score cutting means;   anvil drive means for driving said anvil means against said score cutting means;   pusher means for pushing said cap liner into said cap, said pusher means being located in the cavity formed by said anvil means and said score cutting means, said cavity being large enough to allow said pusher means to reciprocate therein;   a rotatable means for holding said caps, said rotatable means including a plurality of cap receiving pockets therein;   indexing means for indexing said rotatable means; and,   feed means for presenting at least two caps to a first and second receiving pocket respectively between successive indexing rotations of said rotatable means, said feed means further including a first feed means for gravity feeding a first cap to a first receiving pocket and a second feed means for positively and directly feeding a second cap to a second receiving pocket.   
     
     
       2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said second feed means includes a worm screw means. 
     
     
       3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said second feed means includes an override means which prevents said second feed means from jamming if a cap is incorrectly lodged in said second feed means. 
     
     
       4. The apparatus of claim 3 further including: an override means in said pusher means to prevent a cap from being crushed if said cap is accidentally inverted when presented to said pusher means.   
     
     
       5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein said override means for said pusher means comprises a spring. 
     
     
       6. The apparatus of claim 5 further including an override means in said rotatable means for preventing damage to said apparatus if a cap is incorrectly lodged in a receiving pocket. 
     
     
       7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein said override means for said rotatable means comprises: a cap means; at least one ball means housed within said cap;   a pin means having an indentation therein for receiving said ball means, said pin means being attached to said rotatable plate and movable in response to pressure exerted by said cap on said ball means;   a pressure activated plate means which contacts said pin means; and,   a limit switch means responsive to the movement of said pressure activated plate.     
     
     
       8. The apparatus of claim 7 further including: a web cutting means for cutting said web no more than once for every two cap liners cut by said apparatus.   
     
     
       9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein said web cutting means cuts said web after twelve cap liners have been cut. 
     
     
       10. The apparatus of claim 9 further including: automatic lubricating means for lubricating the contacting moving portions of said apparatus.   
     
     
       11. The apparatus of claim 10 further including: close means for enclosing the drive means of said apparatus to prevent dust and debris from clogging said drive means.